KZN government calls for end to mortuary strike
Mortuary employees told to return to work
THE KZN government has called on mortuary employees in the province to end their illegal strike or face the consequences.
This pronouncement was made after the KZN Executive Council (Exco) received a report on the ongoing strike action at provincial mortuaries.
It was presented by KZN MEC for Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, during Exco sitting in Pietermaritzburg last week.
‘The government was appalled by this report, which came after many failed attempts by the Department of Health to resolve the matter amicably,’ said Director General, Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize.
Mortuary staff, including those at Fort-Napier mortuary in Pietermaritzburg, have been on a ‘go slow’ since early
November, resulting in post-mortems being delayed.
This has resulted in a serious backlog, with relatives of deceased unable to bury their departed.
‘At its sitting, the Exco described the action of the mortuary employees as immoral, disrespectful to the deceased and the bereaved families.
‘Exco has called for an end to the strike or else disciplinary action will be taken against striking employees. The strike relates to salaries, protective gear and uniforms, among other things.
She said the provincial Department of Health was attending to the matters raised by the employees. However, she said issues that relate to national competencies were being dealt with by the national Department of Health.
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